Life Cycle Of A Dragonfly

By:Deniz Albert Parry

Hi everyone worldwide. I’d like to tell you about the life cycle of a dragonfly. The dragonfly is the fiercest insect in the world. Those who haven’t seen a dragonfly, you can see at the top. Did you know, one of the best things about dragonflies is that they like to eat mosquitoes and gnats? They are carnivores and eat all types of other insects including, grasshoppers, flies, and even other smaller dragonflies?

 

First it’s a egg. This is a dragonflies eggs for if you haven’t seen one.

It takes 2-5 weeks for the female to lay them. The male can’t do it though. Did you know that eggs can be different colours depending on the type of species?

Then it’s a nymph. This is what they look like.

They will live as nymphs for up to 4 years, molting their skin between 8-17 times depending on the species.

Then it turns into a pupa. This is a picture of one if you haven’t seen it.

In winter, that is when the pupa is on the dragonfly. It takes from winter to spring to change into a adult.

Now it’s a adult! This is what it looks like. This is the yellow-winged darter. Did you know, that there are over 5,000 species of dragonflies?